Slow Play surprisingly has become more than a game for me, more than a way of exploration, it’s become a practice over the past month or so. Maybe we can choose our pace more often than we know? Slow play has illuminated the possibilities of choice in a powerful way.
No was very powerful at one time in the world. That’s all anyone heard others say and that’s all that was said. No, I can’t do this. No I disagree with that. No, it is not possible to have that now. And on it went. Parents said it to children. Children said it to parents. Bosses said it to their employees and on it went …
Play is often trivialized, however, it is a wonderful tool for learning, growth, self-development, connection, relationship, innovation, creativity and so much more. In some ways it can be thought of as a language. Here’s some resources to help you build a play practice ….
This is one of my very favorite games. In my life, this little game has now risen to the level of a practice! I’ve done it so often now that it is simply a part of my life. Here’s an example where I compare story(s) to marshmallows … this exercise of taking one thing and comparing it to another is wonderful for gaining perspective in a number of different ways. It’s a game with legs and you can bring it to your story work, the invitations that are presented to you in life, or you can use it to add a little humor to your day. It’s a great little learning tool to have in your back pocket.
When we think of play, we often imagine ourselves or someone smiling or laughing. But one of the first things I noticed when beginning my story work was that I could also feel sad, satisfied, lonely, happy, irritated, intrigued, frustrated, joyful, angry, curious, etc. while playing with stories. My emotions were real and yet if you’d asked me what I was feeling overall I would have said I was feeling playful …
My shadow waves back at me as if to say hello. It beckons me to be playful, to stop and share, to consider and reflect, to become more open minded. Shadows are varying shades of grey, they are metaphorical, they follow you and they light the path. They are long and short. The distort and they eccentuate. Shadows ask us to drop assumptions, or see or do something new – they invite inspection.
I like silence, there are times I love it. Silence is often beautiful, but it can be perplexing. Especially when it comes out-of-the-blue and there is simply no answer to a text, a call, or why the silence is so loud and long lasting. I have a loved one who has stopped talking, gone their own way. And the thing is I’ve actually benefited from their choice to be silent … What has helped me is to look at what I really want …
To mask or not to mask? Is that the question? I gassed up my car the other day … wearing one or two masks, a face shield … I walked into this place and the first thing I saw was a person stocking shelves and their mask was hanging from one ear. Their face was totally exposed …
